Cure for Dark Elbows and Knees

A common reason for the knees becoming dark is excessive kneeling. When it comes to elbows, discoloration occurs as a result of too much friction. At the workplace, our elbows tend to constantly graze against the arms of our chairs and tables, causing darkening.  Another reason is that the knees and elbows are where the maximum amount of sweat, dust and grime get accumulated along with a buildup of dead skin cells. Lack of proper skin care can also add to the problem. The knees and elbows need as much moisturizer as the face and other parts of the body; most of the time these areas are ignored resulting in a high percentage of dead skin.

Lemon juice is quite effective in lightening knees and elbows at home as it has bleaching properties. Simply apply lemon juice to the affected areas and leave on for at least 30 minutes then wash off. Applying lemon juice daily while using pumice stone will give results in about 3 weeks.

Types of Exfoliates

• Scrub the knees and elbows daily in the shower with gentle pumice stone, moving it in a circular motion; you will start to see lighter knees and elbows in a short time.
• Squeeze the juice out of two quarter wedges of a lemon, add salt then scrub into your affected areas gently, to remove the dead skin. Then take the lemon wedges and lean your elbows on them (one elbow on each). Rest this way for about 10 minutes. Do this daily until the dark patches disappear.
• Mix fresh lemon juice and baking soda to make a thick paste, apply to dry elbows. Gently rub in to exfoliate the skin and leave it on for about 15 minutes before washing.
• You can make an excellent exfoliate at home using chickpea flour and yogurt. Massage the mixture to the affected areas. Using this method will give a glow to your knees and elbows.
• Mix 1 tsp. coconut oil with half tsp. of lemon or lime juice, soak a towel in hot water & scrub firmly.
• Make a paste of chickpea flour and lemon juice and apply on elbows and knees, leave on for 10-15 minutes then wash off.
• It is very important to moisturize after using any of the above scrubs to remove dead skin from your elbows and knees. Here are some natural moisturizers that will help to lighten the elbows and knees.

Moisturizers

• Right after shower, massage mustard oil on the elbows and knees and rinse off with warm water.
• Honey is also a great moisturizer, if using it; leave it on for 30 minutes before washing it off.
• Application of aloe vera gel regularly on affected areas is also known to be quite helpful.
• Before bed time, use olive oil to massage these areas cover the areas with a sock that has its toe part cut out to avoid the oil from rubbing off.
• Moisturize your elbows & knees at least 2 – 3 times a day. Do not allow these areas to become dry at all.
• Do not leave the house without applying sunscreen to your elbows and knees at least SPF 20 is recommended.

To get ahead in the world, we must sometimes elbow our way, why not make sure that our elbows are well cared for.